Julie Jargon looked at how Kroger Co., a supermarket chain, is making sure that customers don’t have to wait in line:

• Using a system called QueVision Kroger uses infrared cameras – similar to those used by the military – to alert managers when lines are building up, informing them that more lanes need to be opened.
• QueVision also takes into account hourly and daily fluctuations in shoppers and informs managers so that they can plan their lane operators accordingly.
• Overall the system is credited with reducing average wait times by almost 90% from 4 minutes to 26 seconds.
• Kroger isn’t alone in fighting long lines. Wal-Mart recently released a new system where shoppers can scan their purchases into their smartphones and then use that information to quickly self-checkout.

Read more about how other companies are reducing wait times, the impact the system has had on Kroger’s financials, and more over here.

Source: The Wall Street Journal